Tool for applying seal caps



' Nov. 1, 1938. A. MAUSER 2,134,923

A TOOL FOR APPLYING SEAL CAPS Filed April 20. 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l "a! as '55 3nuentor Nov. 1, 1938. A. MAusER 2,134,923

TOOL FOR APPLYING SEAL CAPS Filed April 20, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR,

fl.Mause BY g Q a A RNEYS.

Novl 1, 1938. I A, MAUSER 2,134,923

TOOL FOR APPLYING SEAL CAPS Filed A ril 20, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 26 I i E6 '55 D ii i (W 8 5 I '7' K H 2'] 1 I1 4. \s Y as 3V5 Y L 1 fig 6 Q R2) qs w" ggq HE Q; R

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/7 777auser' Gttorneg Patented N... i, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,134,921; I 'roor. roa marine SEAL oars Alfons Mauser, (lolognc-Marienburg, Germany Application Aim 20, 1925, Serial No. 11,53":

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tools of the portable hand operated type for use in applying seal caps over the closures of metal m 1932, and my own prior application Ser. No.

755,592, flied December 1, 1934.

The invention has for its object to provide a. tool for contracting the bottom portion of the cap skirt about the flange surrounding the opening in the container in which pivoted jaw members are provided which serve the dual purpose of supporting the tool in operative position on the cap and of compressing and contracting the skirt'of the cap about the container flange.

go A further object is the provision of a tool wherein the latter is properly centered and positioned when applied to the cap preliminary to the securement oi the latter on thecontainer flange.

25 A further object of the invention is the provision of a tool wherein the cap engaging jaws are actuated by a cam element arranged internally of the free ends of the jaws and adapted on ap-- .plication of pressure to the operating handles to 30 spread said free ends apart and effect the contracting movement of the cap engaging terminals of the jaws.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a tool 35 constructed in accordance with the invention, the

jaws being shown in closed position and in engagement with a cap applied to a container.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the closure of the container and illustrat- 40 ing one of the jaws of the improved tool applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3a is a plan view of the set of jaws shown in Fig. 1. 45 Fig. 3b is a side view of the set of jaws; shown in Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modification of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view 01' Fig. 4 showing oneof the jaws in open position.

Fig. 5a is a plan view of the set of jaws shown in Fig. 4. i

Fig. 5b is a side view of the set of jaws shown in Fig. 4. 55 1 Referring to the drawings indetaiL Fig. 2 illustrates a form of closure for metallic containers constructed substantially in accordance with the two applications above referred to, wherein the opening of the container is formed by an annular bushing 5 having the interior thereof threaded and receiving a screw plug 6. The bushing 5 1s formed with an inner flange I of non-circular form and engaged in the embossed portion 8 or the material of the container 9, the embossed portion forming a support for the 10 The outer portion of the bushing is formed with an external flange l0 presenting a restricted portion II between the bead l0 and the flange 1. The material of the container 9 above the embossed portion 8 is extended upwardly along the restricted portion ll of the bushing, turned over the bead l0 and extended downwardly a substan tial distance within the interior of the bushing so as to iorrn a seat for the gasket l2 positioned between the flange l3 oi the screw plug 6 and the portion 01' the container wall overlying the bead l0.

This construction of the container closure presents the distinct advantage of providing an effective seal preventing the escape oi the fluid contents of the container. The fluid which may leak 5 through the screw threaded connection between I the bushing 5 and plug 6 is prevented from escaping by the single gasket I2 while the fluid which may escape between the flange I, bushing I, head In and the wall of the container .9 due to imperfections in the manufacture of'the. latter is prevented from escaping externally and returns to the interior of the container by leakage be-. tween the screw threads of the bushing '5 and plug 8.

A seal cap I4 which is applied over and disposed in direct contact with the-plug 6 is provided with a depending skirt portion l5 which on initial application of the cap to the container closure is loosely flttedthereon for convenience in applying 40 it. In accordance with the disclosure in my prior application 755,592, a gasket i8 may. be interposed between the cap skirt i5 and the upright portion of the container closure and when the skirt is contracted, provides a hermetical seal preventing escape oi. the contents of the container. In accordance with the invention the bottom of the cap skirt is contracted about the portion of the container wall overlying and conforming in contour to the restricted portion I l of the 5 bushing.

The tool constructed in accordance with the invention comprises the center stem member 19 having head members 2! and 22 secured against axial movement to the opposite ends thereof. A

cup-shaped member 22 having a frustro-conical cam member 24 rigidly secured internally thereof is mounted for movement axially on the member II, the depending skirt portion of the cup-shaped member forming a housing receiving and protecting the jaw members as will hereinafter appear. Apair oi levers 28 is pivotally secured at 22 to the upper head 2| and each lever is connected by a link 21 with the cup-shaped member 22 whereby movement is imparted to the latter, together with the cam member as the levers 22 are oscillated about their pivotal axes in the act of applying a seal cap to the container closure.

The lower head member 22 is rigidly held against axial movement on the lower end of the stem member I! by a nut 22 and is provided with radial supporting arms 22 carrying pivot pins 22 on which the combined tool supporting and cap contracting jaw members 2| are pivotally mounted. y

In the form of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, four jaw members are provided and the upper rounded extremities 22 thereof are held in sliding contact with the cam member 24 by a spring 22 whereby when the cam member is moved downwardly between the.

rounded upper ends of the jaw members the latter are separated while the lower ends thereof The cap contracting portions of the jaw members are constituted by projections 24 at the lower ends thereof while the tool supporting portions of said jaw members are constituted by projections 25 located above the projections 24 and spaced therefrom a suitable distance depending on the height of the skirt of the cap. Both projections 24 and 22 are of segmental formand present a substantially closed figure when the jaw members are moved together.

The tool supporting projections 25 extend inwardly in the radial direction to a greater extent than the contracting projections 24 so that when the jaw members are in open position the latter may be applied over the cap l4 and the tool is supported and centered thereon by the projections 2|. For this purpose the.cap engaging surfaces of the projections 22 are shaped in conformity with the top surface of the cap in connection with which the tool is to be usedand the space between the projections 24 and 22 is so selected that the cap skirt is compressed.a substantial distance below the bead II -as above stated. During the contracting movement of the jaw members, the tool supporting projections 22 move freely over the top surface of thecap.

When the hand levers 22 are moved together into substantially parallel relation,- the -cupshaped member 22 and the cam member 24 are moved upwardly along the stem member l2 and thespring 2| acting on the upper ends of the jaw members 2|, draws the, latter together thereby separating the lower extremities of the jaw members and permitting the latter to be slipped over a cap ll fitted on a container. The tool is supported and positioned on the cap by the projections 22 directly engaging therewith and when the levers 25 are moved apart and pressed downwardly by hand, the movement of the cam 24 actuates the jaw members causing the contracting projections 24 thereof to engage and firmly and uniformly compress the extreme lower edge of the cap skirt about the container flange there- .by compressing the gasket l8 and sealing and securing the cap in position.

According to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, no provision is made for adjustment between the projections 24 and 25 and, therefore, this type of tool may only be used in connection with caps having skirts of a certain depth. It may be desirable, however, to vary the distance between the contracting projections 24 and the plane of the top of the cap in order that the tool may be used in connection with caps of varying dimensions.

For this purpose the form of invention illus-' trated in Figures 4 and 5 may be employed, wherein the jaw members 2|- are provided with arcuate supporting projections 40 curved concentrically with the jaw axis 20 which, instead of directly engaging the top of the cap as in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, has interposedlbetween it and the cap an adjustable member 4 According to this construction the adjustable member 4| is confined in a recess 42 in the jaw members formed between the supporting projection 25' and the contracting projection 24. When the jaw members 2| are open to their fullest extent and the tool is lifted from a sealed cap, the adjustable member 4| is pressed downwardly by a spring 42 and the movement thereof is arrested and limited by the bottom wall 44 of the recess 42.

The adjustable member 4| is constituted by two parts 45 and 48 rigidly connected together by a screw 41 and having a spacing member 48 interposed between them which may be removed and replaced by spacing members of different thickness. As shown in Fig. 4, the adjustable member 4| is of suchsize as to provide a clearance space 42 between it and the adjacent portions of the jaw members 2| I when the latter are in their innermost position in order to prevent interference with the freedom of movement of said jaws in the act of contracting the skirt of a cap aboutthe flange of a container.

When the tool is not in use. the twopart adjustablemember 4| is pressed outwardly by the spring 42 into contact with the wall 44 but, when the tool is applied to a cap, the adjustable member is brought into engagement with the top thereof and the spring 42 is compressed under the weight of the tool entirely independent of any other force applied thereto and is moved into direct contact with the arcuate supporting projection 22' as shown in Fig. 5. In this manner the tool is supported bodily on the cap by the supporting projections 22' while the distance between the lower surface of the adjustable member 4| which engages the top surface of the cap and the contracting projections 24 determine the point at which the skirt cap is engaged and compressed.

In order to accommodate the tool for use in connection with caps of different skirt lengths and to always insure that the extreme lower edge of the skirt is contracted, the thickness of the The two-partadjustable member 4| is perma nently spaced from the stem member I! and the lower head member 22 and as in the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, the tool is positioned and centered as well as supported during application to the cap and during the crimping thereof by either the supporting projections or 35".

The form of the invention illustrated in Figures -1 to 3 differs from that shown in Figures 4 and 5 in that the supporting projections 35 directly engage the top of the cap whereas in the two latter figures the projections support the tool on the cap through the intermediary of the adjustable member 4!. In both forms, however, the supporting projections operate in conjunction with the top of the cap to position and support the tool thereon as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A portable hand-operated tool for securing a seal cap over an opening in a container having a bead surrounding said opening comprising a center stem member, relatively movable jaw members pivoted on said stem member, means to actuate said jaw members, tool supporting projections on said jaw members, and additional projections adapted to engage and contract the skirt of a cap,v and a member engageable with the top of a cap and bearing against said supporting projections during the use of the tool.

2. A portable hand-operated tool ior securing a seal cap over an opening .in a container having a bead surrounding said opening comprising a center stem member, relatively movable jaw members pivoted onsaid stem member, means to actuate said jaw members, tool supporting projections on said jaw members, and additional projections adapted to engage and contract the skirt of a cap, and a member engageable with the top of a cap and bearing against said supporting projections during the use of the tool, the last mentioned member being adapted to have the thickness thereof varied.

3. A portable hand-operated tool for securinga seal cap over an opening in a container having a bead surrounding said opening comprising a center stem member, relatively movable jaw members pivoted on said stem member, means to actuate saidjaw members, tool supporting projections on said jaw members, and additional projections adapted to engage and contract the skirt of acap, and a member engageable with the top of a cap and bearing against said supporting projections during the use of the tool, the last mentionedmember being movable and confined between said projections.

4. A portable hand-operated tool for securing a seal cap over an opening in a container having a bead surrounding said opening comprising a center stem member, relatively movable jaw members pivoted on said stem member, means to actuate said jaw members, tool supporting projections on said jaw members, and additional projections adapted to engage and contract the skirt of acap, and a member engageable with thetop of a cap and bearing against said sup-- porting projections during the use of the tool, the last mentioned member being movable and confined between said projections, and means normally moving said last mentioned member toward the, contracting projections.

5. A portable hand-operated tool for securing a seal cap over a beaded opening in a container comprising a center stem member, relatively movable jaw members pivotally carried by said stem member, terminal projections on said jaw members for engaging and contracting the skirt of a cap, tool supporting projections provided directly on said jaw members and operative in conjunction with the top of a cap to position and support the tool thereon for manual operation, manually operable levers pivotally mounted on said stem member, and means operable by said levers to positively actuate said jaw members. 1

6. A tool as claimed in claim 5 characterized in that said actuating means is slidable on said stem member and movably arranged between the ends of the jaw members opposite the terminal projections.

7. A tool as claimed in claim 5 characterized by the provision of a cup-shapedmember errclosing said jaw members, said cup-shaped member carrying the actuating means and being movable therewith.

8. A tool as claimed in claim 5 characterized by the provision of a cupshaped member enclosing said jaw members, said actuating means being slidable on said stein member and movably arranged between the ends of the jaw members opposite the terminal projections, said cupshaped member carrying said actuating means.

9. A tool as claimed in claim 5 characterized by the provision of a cup-shaped member enclosing said jaw members and enclosing and carrying-said actuating meana,

ALFONS MAUSER. 

